US5084187A - Three phase separation process - Google Patents
Three phase separation process Download PDFInfo
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- US5084187A US5084187A US07/701,452 US70145291A US5084187A US 5084187 A US5084187 A US 5084187A US 70145291 A US70145291 A US 70145291A US 5084187 A US5084187 A US 5084187A
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Images
Classifications
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- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B01—PHYSICAL OR CHEMICAL PROCESSES OR APPARATUS IN GENERAL
- B01D—SEPARATION
- B01D9/00—Crystallisation
- B01D9/02—Crystallisation from solutions
- B01D9/04—Crystallisation from solutions concentrating solutions by removing frozen solvent therefrom
-
- C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
- C02—TREATMENT OF WATER, WASTE WATER, SEWAGE, OR SLUDGE
- C02F—TREATMENT OF WATER, WASTE WATER, SEWAGE, OR SLUDGE
- C02F1/00—Treatment of water, waste water, or sewage
- C02F1/22—Treatment of water, waste water, or sewage by freezing
-
- C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
- C02—TREATMENT OF WATER, WASTE WATER, SEWAGE, OR SLUDGE
- C02F—TREATMENT OF WATER, WASTE WATER, SEWAGE, OR SLUDGE
- C02F2103/00—Nature of the water, waste water, sewage or sludge to be treated
- C02F2103/08—Seawater, e.g. for desalination
-
- Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
- Y02—TECHNOLOGIES OR APPLICATIONS FOR MITIGATION OR ADAPTATION AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE
- Y02A—TECHNOLOGIES FOR ADAPTATION TO CLIMATE CHANGE
- Y02A20/00—Water conservation; Efficient water supply; Efficient water use
- Y02A20/124—Water desalination
Definitions
- This invention is generally concerned with the use of freezing conditions in order to accomplish a degree of separation of a solvent and a solute from a solute/solvent liquid solution.
- the herein disclosed processes have many useful ecological and industrial purposes, but they are especially well suited to converting sea water, brackish water, etc. into potable water, concentrated brines and purified solutes.
- sea water is simply frozen to produce an ice product and/or it is flash-frozen to produce a water vapor product and a slurry of ice and brine.
- Both of these freezing techniques require a great deal of expensive refrigeration capacity.
- the flash freezing techniques are especially expensive because they employ vacuum/freezer apparatus wherein a vacuum is created to evaporate the water. This is accomplished by the expenditure of a great deal of mechanical work. The resulting water vapor must be continuously removed from the vacuum/freezer apparatus and then must be condensed to water by another large expenditure of mechanical work. This all goes to say that the refrigeration, vacuum-creation and condensation steps of such processes each require considerable amounts of mechanical and/or electrical energy which can only be obtained at high fuel costs and/or high capital equipment costs. Consequently, freezing and flash-freezing processes to produce potable water have not been widely accepted as economically viable methods of producing potable water.
- U.S. Pat. No. 4,236,382 teaches a desalination process wherein a deaerated, ice water solution is first flash vaporized under a highly reduced pressure to form a low pressure water vapor brine and ice crystals.
- the ice is purified in a counter-washer and then melted inside heat conductive conduits under high pressure.
- the low pressure water vapor is then desublimed to form a desublimate (ice) on the outside of certain conduits employed in this process.
- This particular process employs the latent heat of desublimation of the desublimate in order to supply the heat needed in the ice making portion of the operation.
- U.S. Pat. No. 3,664,145 teaches a method for separating a solvent (e.g., water) in substantially pure form from a solution (e.g., sea water) wherein a vacuum freezer is employed to produce vapors and a slurry of solvent and solute.
- a solvent e.g., water
- a solution e.g., sea water
- a vacuum freezer is employed to produce vapors and a slurry of solvent and solute.
- the product materials are separated by various novel, but complex, mechanical steps which form a large part of this particular patent disclosure.
- U.S. Pat. No. 3,070,969 teaches a process which also employs vacuum freezing conditions in order to separate dissolved salts, such as those found in sea water, from a solvent solution.
- the sea water is vacuum frozen by a novel arrangement of equipment in order to both concentrate the solute salts contained in the liquid component of the solution and in order to collect the solvent component of the solution in the form of a frozen solvent material (e.g., ice).
- a frozen solvent material e.g., ice
- U.S. Pat. No. 3,214,371 teaches a desalination process which is based upon formation of large ice crystals in brine through the use of certain water clathrate substances such as propane hydrate.
- the ice crystals are separated from the brine (and from the clathrate substance) and then melted in a process which employs the latent heat absorbing capacity of the ice to further promote formation of a hydrate produced from a brine and water clathrate feedstock.
- the herein disclosed processes are intended to provide certain methods, systems and apparatus for separating a solvent (e.g., potable water), in substantially pure form, from a solute/solvent solution (e.g., sea water) at substantially lower costs than those which can be obtained by conventional refrigeration and/or flash freezing methods.
- solvent e.g., potable water
- solute/solvent solution e.g., sea water
- the processes of this patent disclosure are particularly well suited to producing potable water from the solvent component of sea water (i.e., water), but it should also be emphasized that these processes also can be readily adapted to target recovery of a solute component (e.g., sodium chloride) from a solvent component (e.g., sea water). Consequently, the herein disclosed three phase separation processes can be used in their own right to produce solute or solvent product(s), or they can be used in conjunction with other processes (e.g., progressive lagoon evaporation processes), to recover products such as the sodium chloride content of sea water.
- solute component e.g., sodium chloride
- the three phase separation processes described in this patent disclosure may be employed to separate the components of any solute/solvent solution, as long as the solute component is completely dissolved in the solvent component, as long as a gas can be dissolved into the solvent component and as long as the solvent component can be frozen to a solid state by a Joule-Thompson free expansion of the solute/solvent solution under pressure and pressure conditions which are not prohibitively expensive to attain.
- FIG. 1 graphs the behavior of a typical single species solute in a typical single species solvent.
- this graph depicts a temperature-phase relationship of solubility and melting point over a range of total compositional proportions extending well to either side of that particular solubility corresponding to the eutectic composition--the solubility at the minimum solution total freezing point.
- solubility eutectic
- phase equilibrium regions shown in this diagram also can be related to "Gibb's Phase Rule" which dictates that the number of freely variable conditions (“degrees of freedom”) plus the number of phases must equal the number of components, plus two.
- the degrees of freedom can be temperature and/or pressure and/or compositional variables which amount to the number of components, minus one.
- the phases can be one gas phase, any number of liquid phases which are discrete (i.e., which do not dissolve in each other) and any number of solid phases so long as one does not constitute a continuous phase.
- Region I is entirely a single phase liquid
- Region J is a liquid mixed with solid precipitated solvent
- Region K is liquid mixed with solid precipitated solute
- region L is total two-phase solid (except for a single solid phase at the unique situation of starting with single-phase liquid and ending with single-phase solid, but always at eutectic composition).
- a continuous solid-phase at C E contains inclusions of solid pure solvent while, on the other hand, sub-region L B contains a discontinuous phase of solid solute inclusions.
- the essence of the "controlled heating-cooling approach" taken by the herein disclosed processes begins when a given quantity of source raw material solution (e.g., sea water) is drawn into the system which carries out the process.
- the raw material solution will be drawn from a large source which is most preferably large enough (e.g., a body of sea water) to establish, in effect, a constant ambient temperature to serve as a "heat sink” as well as a source of starting material.
- the liquid feed material be augmented (by physical mixing of the two liquids) by use of a recycled liquid product of the Joule-Thompson free expansion.
- a partially soluble gas (at its given temperature) is dissolved into the feed solution.
- the term "partially soluble gas” should be taken to mean that the gas is sufficiently soluble in the solute/solvent solution such that, when a nominal high pressure of the herein disclosed process is released to a nominal low pressure of this process, there will be sufficient reabsorption of the heat of vaporization of said gas to readily vaporize the gas and thereby effect a degree of chilling of the single phase composite liquid necessary to "almost" reach the composite liquid's "triple point temperature" T e .
- the point labeled "Q(T 5 )" almost reaches point R in FIG. 1.
- the resulting solution (hereinafter often referred to as the single phase composite liquid) is brought to nearly ambient temperature by cooling in a first heat exchange means (which is most preferably an external heat sink such as, for example, a body of sea water).
- a first heat exchange means which is most preferably an external heat sink such as, for example, a body of sea water.
- a second heat exchange (which is preferably, totally, made against a source of low temperature other than the heat sink of the first heat exchange means) is performed upon the single phase composite liquid material.
- This other source of low temperature could be supplied by, or augmented by, a cold stream or refrigeration sources completely external to this process, but for reasons of economics, it is highly preferred that this second heat exchange be carried out, as much as possible, or practical, against at least one of three phases (vapor, liquid and solid) of colder products of the Joule-Thompson free expansion step of the process.
- the Joule-Thompson free expansion constitutes an irreversible adiabatic expansion of the single phase composite liquid material.
- this adiabatic expansion is carried out at a temperature which is carefully contrived to permit an adiabatic expansion from a nominal high to a nominal low pressure in order to just approach (again, note the location of point Q(T 5 ) in FIG. 1), the triple point temperature T e of the single phase composite solution.
- the expansion with its consequent release of the gas dissolved in the single phase composite liquid material, will suffice to lower the temperature of the single phase composite liquid to approximately its triple point, especially when the single phase composite liquid, after the above noted first heat exchange, is "boot-strap" heat-exchanged, in a controlled manner, with cold effluent streams produced by said Joule-Thompson expansion which have temperatures which closely approximate the triple point temperature T e of the single phase composite liquid material. Indeed, there will be a valuable amount of surplus refrigeration made available by this means.
- the most important operational variable of this process--which must be carefully “adjusted” for successful operation of the process-- is the degree of chilling of the stream of single phase composite liquid which occurs in the second heat exchange means before said composite liquid is subjected to the Joule-Thompson free expansion.
- there is a "brink" temperature or temperature “jumping off point” which, among other things, must obey the fundamental restriction that, ideally, no heat is to enter or leave the chamber in which the Joule-Thompson expansion is carried out. This restriction forces a situation in which a total given composition must necessarily exist under a precisely paired set of temperatures and pressures.
- the brink temperature is that temperature of the single phase composite liquid such that a release of pressure from a nominal high pressure to a nominal low pressure results in evolution of essentially all of the dissolved gas which, upon vaporization, absorbs heat of condensation in that quantity of heat which is required to lower the temperature of the entire mass of the single phase composite liquid to the triple point temperature of said single phase composite liquid.
- the brink temperature is the only remaining operating parameter which can be "adjusted" so that when the dissolved gas leaves the composite liquid during the Joule-Thompson free expansion: (1) the evolution of the gas will absorb the heat of vaporization of said gas such that there will be a temperature reduction from the brink temperature to the triple point temperature of the single phase composite liquid. Consequently, the brink temperature must be controlled in order to be at that some prescribed temperature which satisfies the heat balance of the Joule-Thompson free expansion. This brink temperature can be calculated and/or determined by testing procedures.
- the Joule-Thompson free expansion is most preferably completed at a point which lies just above the point represented by the eutectic concentration/ eutectic temperature point C e T e , e.g., at point Q(T 5 ) as shown in FIG. 1 which lies just above point R.
- the concentration/temperature phase relationship should lie at a point Q(T 5 ), which is "contrived" to be just above the point R, which represents the eutectic concentration and temperature C e T e .
- the expansion should not, however, be allowed to bring the lowest temperature produced by the expansion to some lower point below line T e -T e , such as point S, which would cause the formation of a completely frozen total product.
- This requirement also will set the amount of gas (e.g., carbon dioxide) to be dissolved in the single phase composite liquid. That is to say that this amount of gas is a "contrivance" which can be employed to cause the Joule-Thompson expansion to stop at point Q(T 5 ) rather than go onto an undesired lower level such as point S.
- Such considerations can also set any amount of recycle brine employed such that the concentration of the single phase composite liquid will be near eutectic saturation when the carbon dioxide is evaporated and thereby freezing any net surplus water into ice.
- the herein disclosed processes most preferably set relatively high nominal pressures (e.g., the pressure of the single phase composite liquid material at the exit point 22 of eductor 20) in a range from about 2 to about 20 atmospheres.
- the pressure in the chamber in which the Joule-Thompson expansion is carried out (the nominal low pressure) is most preferably set at approximately atmospheric pressure (for reasons of economics, if nothing else).
- the forced paired temperature for the total composition and for the nominal low pressure is, uniquely, the triple point temperature of the single phase composite liquid material.
- this process most preferably will include means for detecting this "brink temperature” and means (e.g., changes in heat exchange flow paths, changes in flow rates, etc.) for quickly adjusting this all-important process parameter.
- the herein disclosed three phase separation process for separating solutes from solvents is based upon the fact that, at some nominal high pressure, the temperature of a composite liquid can be adjusted in order to "poise” it on the "brink" of a particular Joule-Thompson free expansion. Consequently, the Joule-Thompson free expansion can be "precontrived", under the conditions employed in the herein disclosed process, to result in the formation of three phases of material.
- the gas which is to be employed also should be of greater volatility than that of the solvent vapor, whatever it may be, in the particular embodiment of this process being used.
- the gas species also may be selected on the basis of other criteria as well, e.g., (1) non-toxicity, (2) low cost, (3) ready availability, and most importantly, (4) on the basis of an intermediate solubility (hence, its appellation in this patent application: "partially soluble") such that at the nominal high pressure (and temperature), enough gas will dissolve in the solute/solvent solution--and on the basis that the gas will also be essentially totally evolved at the nominal low pressure (and triple point temperature and yet be such that its reacquisition of its latent heat, when it evolves from the single liquid phase solution, will chill the entire mass of the single phase composite liquid material down to its triple point.
- the distribution of the respective vapor, liquid and solid phase products of these processes can be provided with a designed flexibility to accommodate varied process requirements such as the previously noted adjustments in solute concentration in the incoming feed stream (e.g., which can be increased by the interjection of brine into the incoming sea water). That is to say that various valving and manifold systems known to the art can be used to direct each of the materials produced by the Joule-Thompson free expansion to various points throughout the overall system. valving manifolds, heat sensing devices, pressure sensing devices and/or pump systems well known to the art can be employed for such varied purpose.
- the herein described methods for separating a solute (or several solutes) from a solvent (or mixture of solvents), which together constitute a solute/ solvent solution starting material having an initial concentration and an initial temperature T 1 will comprise: (1) introducing a partially soluble gas into an incoming solute/solvent solution which is placed under a nominal high pressure by a pump means in order to dissolve the partially soluble gas in the solute/solvent solution and thereby releasing the heat of condensation of the partially soluble gas into the solute/solvent solution and thus producing a dissolved gas/solute/ solvent solution which takes the form, or is forced to take the form (i.e., forced to do so by temperature adjustment), of a single phase composite liquid ("single phase composite liquid”) having a second temperature T 2 which is greater than the initial temperature T 1 of the solute/solvent solution starting material owing to the fact that the resulting solution has absorbed the heat of condensation of the dissolved gas; (2) introducing the single phase composite liquid material having the second temperature T
- the herein disclosed processes can be adapted to various completely separate and distinct embodiments of the basic process noted above: such distinct embodiments can be used with a view toward: (1) using sea water as the solute/solvent solution starting material, (2) using carbon dioxide as the partially soluble gas, (3) using a jet eductor as the means for introducing the partially soluble gas into the solute/ solvent solution (and especially using a jet eductor wherein a sea water solution is employed as a motive fluid and the partially soluble gas is carbon dioxide gas educted into the sea water solution), (4) using a portion of a resulting liquid phase material (e.g., brine) produced by the Joule-Thompson free expansion of the single phase composite liquid material to augment the incoming sea water solution starting material, (5) adjusting the incoming sea water solution starting material to a temperature which is different from the temperature T 1 of the incoming sea water solution starting material by use of a stream of one or more of the products of the Joule-Thompson free expansion,
- this process can be made very compact because it requires only small liquid pumps, rather than compressors, as its only “moving parts”. Consequently minor amounts of electric power are the only utilities needed. It also should be pointed out that this process can be made into devices small enough to produce ice from tap water in homes, restaurants and like-sized enterprises needing ice; that is to say that the process can be employed to produce ice even though the incoming water stream is already "potable” water.
- the advantage of this process in this circumstance is the ability of this process to produce ice without the use of freon gases which are known to be harmful to the earth's ecology and which are now under attack from several environmental quarters.
- FIG. 1 depicts a temperature-phase relationship diagram of a single solute, single solvent system. It particularly illustrates certain key operating conditions which occur during the Joule-Thompson free expansion step of the herein disclosed process.
- FIG. 2 depicts a process flow sheet for some representative embodiments of the herein disclosed processes, especially those wherein certain products resulting from the Joule-Thompson free expansion are used as heat exchange media in heat exchangers employed to carry out said processes.
- FIG. 2 is a flow diagram of one particularly preferred embodiment of the overall processes 10 used to carry out this invention.
- This embodiment begins by obtaining a solute/solvent solution starting material 12 which has an initial solute (e.g., a salt) concentration in a solvent (e.g., water) and an initial temperature T 1 .
- the starting material can be obtained from a suitable source 14 (e.g., a body of sea water, a body or stream of an industrial waste fluid source having one or more solutes in a liquid solvent, etc.) which is comprised of said solute/solvent solution.
- a suitable source 14 e.g., a body of sea water, a body or stream of an industrial waste fluid source having one or more solutes in a liquid solvent, etc.
- a pump 16 can be readily employed to obtain the solute/solvent solution and to place it under pressure
- the solute/ solvent solution 12 is then mixed, preferably while it is under pressure (for example, under the pressure supplied by pump 16), with a partially soluble gas 18 in order to dissolve said partially gas 18 in the solute/solvent solution 12 and in order to produce a single phase composite liquid material 24.
- a most preferred method of dissolving the partially soluble gas 18 into the solute/ solvent solution starting material 12, under a relatively high pressure is through the use of a jet eductor 20 wherein the solute/solvent solution 12, under the pressure supplied by pump 16, is driven through the jet eductor 20 as a motive fluid 12' in order to educt the partially soluble gas 18 (e.g., carbon dioxide), which enters the eductor 20 via the inlet port 21 of said jet eductor 20, into the motive fluid 12' and thereby dissolving said gas 18 into said solute/solvent solution 12.
- a jet eductor 20 wherein the solute/solvent solution 12, under the pressure supplied by pump 16, is driven through the jet eductor 20 as a motive fluid 12' in order to educt the partially soluble gas 18 (e.g., carbon dioxide), which enters the eductor 20 via the inlet port 21 of said jet eductor 20, into the motive fluid 12' and thereby dissolving said gas 18 into said solute/solv
- This dissolving of the gas 18 into the solute/solvent solution 12, be it through the action of jet eductor 20 or by other means for dissolving a gas into a liquid under pressure (not shown in FIG. 1), will cause the gas 18 to give up its heat of condensation and thereby raise the temperature of the resulting dissolved gas/solute/ solvent solution 24 (which has been, and will be, referred to as a single phase composite liquid material 24 for the purposes of this patent disclosure) to some temperature T 2 which is higher than the temperature T 1 of the incoming solute/ solvent solution 12 starting material.
- the resultant liquid product of dissolving the partially soluble gas 18 into the solute/solvent solution 12 should be a "single phase composite liquid" 24. That is to say that this single phase composite liquid 24 should be a liquid material having no undissolved solid phase material and no undissolved gas phase material mixed in with said single phase composite liquid 24.
- the liquid exiting the jet eductor 20 should be essentially a single liquid phase even though the liquid contains solute(s) and gases dissolved into said liquid.
- this upper limit temperature T max below this upper limit temperature T max , only a single liquid phase will exit the eductor 20 and this is to be sought to the fullest extent possible.
- sensor device(s) 29 can be positioned near the exit end 22 of said eductor 20 to insure that this operating condition is obtained and maintained.
- This upper temperature limit can be avoided by adjusting the temperatures of the fluids coming to jet eductor 20 by heat exchanging them, partially heat exchanging them and/or not heat exchanging them against the single phase composite liquid or against some other source of "heat" or source of "cold.”
- some desired temperature and pressure of a given single phase composite liquid can be used as a "design" basis or criterion for selection of the most appropriate eduction equipment in view of the values of the temperatures, pressures and quantities of the fluid materials fed into the eductor as the motive fluid 12' and as the educted fluid (i.e., the gas 18). That is to say that good "design” can serve to minimize the need to "adjust" the eductor's operating temperature.
- the next step in the overall process 10 is to introduce the single phase composite liquid material 24 having a temperature T 2 into a first heat exchange means 26 in order to remove a quantity of heat from said single phase composite liquid material 24 which approximates the quantity of heat represented by the heat of condensation of the gas 18 which was given up to the single phase composite liquid material 24 in dissolving therein and whose loss will bring said single phase composite liquid material 24 back to some third temperature T 3 , which, preferably, approximates the initial temperature T 1 of the original solute/solvent starting material 12.
- this heat exchange is most preferably carried out against a portion 14' of the "source” solute/ solvent solution (e.g., carrying out this heat exchange against a large body of sea water) which, in effect, acts as a "heat sink” for the heat of condensation of the gas 18; this heat exchange should not, however, be carried against the products of the Joule-Thompson free expansion.
- the temperature T 3 of the single phase composite liquid material 24 can be readily made to approximate the temperature T 1 of the solute/solvent solution 12 starting material (e.g., sea water, at its ambient temperature T 1 ).
- the single phase composite liquid material 24 is then introduced into a second heat exchange means 28 wherein a second heat exchange is performed upon the single phase composite liquid material 24.
- this second heat exchange means most preferably, should employ a source of cold completely distinct from the source of cold employed by the first heat exchange means.
- this second heat exchange means 28 will be comprised of a series of heat exchange zones such as a first heat exchange zone 30, a second heat exchange zone 32, and a third heat exchange zone 34, etc. such as those generally depicted in FIG. 2.
- the single phase composite liquid material 24 can be progressively chilled as it passes through a series of such heat exchange zones until said single phase composite liquid material 24 eventually reaches a "brink" temperature T 4 which is such that a release of pressure on the single phase composite liquid 24 from a nominal high pressure to a nominal low pressure results in the evolution of substantially all of the dissolved gas which, upon vaporization, absorbs heat of condensation in a quantity which is required to lower the temperature of an entire mass of the single phase composite liquid to a temperature T 5 which approximates the triple point temperature T e of said single phase composite liquid.
- Joule-Thompson free expansion constitutes an irreversible, adiabatic expansion, from the system's nominal high pressure (e.g., 2-20 atmospheres) to its nominal lower pressure (which most preferably, approximates atmospheric pressure) of the single phase composite liquid material 24 and that such an expansion is most preferably carried by use of a nozzle 36 which sprays into a chamber 38, and in this case into a chamber 38 most preferably having a pressure of about one atmosphere.
- Temperature sensor means 35 can be placed between the heat exchange means 28 and the nozzle 36 to monitor the brink temperature T 4 and/or to effect adjustments of said temperature T 4 by changing heat exchange paths, material quantities, temperatures, etc.
- the first phase 40 will be essentially a pure vapor (e.g., carbon dioxide vapor with only minor amounts of water vapor).
- the second phase 42 will be essentially a pure, solid solvent (e.g., ice) or pure solid solute (e.g., sodium chloride)--but not both--and the third phase will be a liquid 44 (e.g., brine) whose solute concentration can be made to be more than (or under proper initial mixing conditions, less than) that of the solute/solvent solution starting material 12.
- a liquid 44 e.g., brine
- the solution of remaining solvent and solute e.g., brine
- the solution of remaining solvent and solute can be made to be a liquid 44 which approaches the saturation (eutectic) composition at the triple point temperature T e of the given material.
- FIG. 2 depicts a stream of the liquid 44 (the liquid phase product of the Joule-Thompson free expansion, e.g., brine) being sent back to be mixed, at point 43 for example, with the incoming stream of solute/solvent solution 12.
- the stream of liquid 44 is shown being heat exchanged against the single phase liquid composite material 24 in zone 34 of heat exchange means 28. That is to say that since liquid of stream 44 will have a temperature T 5 which is lower than that of the temperature of the single phase composite liquid material 24 flowing through heat exchanger 28, the two streams can be heat exchanged against each other. Ideally the heat exchange in zone 34 should produce a temperature in the single phase composite liquid material 24 which constitutes the "brink" temperature T 4 previously discussed.
- FIGS. 2 also is intended to indicate that there will also be other vessels (e.g., 46, 48, etc.), heat exchanger zones (e.g., zone 50), pumps (e.g., 52 and 56) employed in order to use the material of these three phases to some of, or all of, the extent of the available refrigeration they are capable of providing.
- the nature and relative importance of the refrigeration capabilities of the materials which comprise the three phases produced by the Joule-Thompson free expansion might include certain considerations.
- the temperatures of the recycle gas e.g., carbon dioxide
- the recycle gas can be adjusted to encourage production of a single phase composite liquid material 24 in the eductor 20.
- one such temperature "adjustment” can be accomplished by heat exchanging the gas 40 against the single phase composite liquid material 24 (e.g., in zone 30 of heat exchanger 28) before it is re-educted into a gas inlet port 21 of eductor 20.
- the gas 40 also can be sent straight back to the inlet nozzle 21 of eductor 20 without being heat exchanged against the single phase composite liquid 24 in zone 30 (or in any other zone 32 or zone 34, etc.).
- a stream of gas 40 obtained from the Joule-Thompson free expansion can be augmented by gas 18' from a make-up source 25 of gas.
- FIG. 1 also depicts how some or all of the solid phase material 42 can be sent, e.g., by conveyor means 54, to a melting vessel 48 wherein all solvent water is maintained as a two-in-one solid/liquid mixture 45 from which a liquid solvent (e.g., water) 42' can be obtained.
- a liquid solvent e.g., water
- one or more true counter-flow heat exchangers e.g., 30, 32, 34, etc.
- Stream 51 can be used to wash surface brine from ice, etc.) from the vessel 48 in which the ice and water are mixed and maintained.
- the ice/water mixture in vessel 48 can be used in a heat exchange means 50 which is depicted by coil X-Y in vessel 48, against the single phase composite liquid 24 at a point 52 located between the first heat exchanger 26 and the second heat exchanger 28.
- This heat exchange will result in production of a cold liquid (e.g., cold water) which then can be used (as indicated by stream line 47) to cool the single phase composite liquid 24. This can be done, for example, in zone 32 of heat exchanger 28.
- heat exchangers 26, 28 and 50 may have inlet and outlet stream conduits fixed in various manifold arrangements known to this art. That is to say that the various product streams from the Joule-Thompson free expansion can be manifolded to provide material mixing, surface area, etc., flexibility in changing quantities and duties of the fluids employed in this process.
- the principal effect of the "series" cooling should be that of progressive cooling of the single composite liquid 24 so that a brink temperature T 4 is attained by said composite liquid arrives at the expansion nozzle 36.
- one of the most desired products of the expansion can be the "pure" water 42' which is collected in vessel 46.
- this pure water 42' can be directed back, e.g., as by stream, 51, to wash surface solute (e.g., brine) from the solid product 42 (e.g., ice) after it is removed (e.g., by conveyor belt means 54) from the vessel 38 in which the Joule-Thompson free expansion is conducted.
- solute e.g., brine
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Abstract
Description
Claims (22)
Priority Applications (2)
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US07/701,452 US5084187A (en) | 1991-05-15 | 1991-05-15 | Three phase separation process |
US07/814,564 US5167838A (en) | 1991-05-15 | 1991-12-30 | Three phase separation process |
Applications Claiming Priority (1)
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US07/701,452 US5084187A (en) | 1991-05-15 | 1991-05-15 | Three phase separation process |
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US07/814,564 Continuation-In-Part US5167838A (en) | 1991-05-15 | 1991-12-30 | Three phase separation process |
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US5084187A true US5084187A (en) | 1992-01-28 |
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US07/701,452 Expired - Fee Related US5084187A (en) | 1991-05-15 | 1991-05-15 | Three phase separation process |
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US5167838A (en) * | 1991-05-15 | 1992-12-01 | Joseph Wilensky | Three phase separation process |
US5360554A (en) * | 1994-02-07 | 1994-11-01 | Parhelion, Inc. | Phase separation by gas evolution |
US5400618A (en) * | 1993-10-26 | 1995-03-28 | Exxon Research & Engineering Co. | Integrated batch auto-refrigerative dewaxing employing thermocompressors |
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US20040154317A1 (en) * | 2003-02-07 | 2004-08-12 | Ferro Corporation | Lyophilization method and apparatus for producing particles |
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US20120037097A1 (en) * | 2007-03-22 | 2012-02-16 | Nooter/Eriksen, Inc. | High efficiency feedwater heater |
US8178145B1 (en) | 2007-11-14 | 2012-05-15 | JMC Enterprises, Inc. | Methods and systems for applying sprout inhibitors and/or other substances to harvested potatoes and/or other vegetables in storage facilities |
US9605890B2 (en) | 2010-06-30 | 2017-03-28 | Jmc Ventilation/Refrigeration, Llc | Reverse cycle defrost method and apparatus |
US10076129B1 (en) | 2016-07-15 | 2018-09-18 | JMC Enterprises, Inc. | Systems and methods for inhibiting spoilage of stored crops |
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US8178145B1 (en) | 2007-11-14 | 2012-05-15 | JMC Enterprises, Inc. | Methods and systems for applying sprout inhibitors and/or other substances to harvested potatoes and/or other vegetables in storage facilities |
US9605890B2 (en) | 2010-06-30 | 2017-03-28 | Jmc Ventilation/Refrigeration, Llc | Reverse cycle defrost method and apparatus |
US10076129B1 (en) | 2016-07-15 | 2018-09-18 | JMC Enterprises, Inc. | Systems and methods for inhibiting spoilage of stored crops |
US10638780B1 (en) | 2016-07-15 | 2020-05-05 | JMC Enterprises, Inc. | Systems and methods for inhibiting spoilage of stored crops |
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